Smiles are born in the central kitchen! A day in the life of the Smile Keeper who supports our daily “fun commotion”!
Hello! This is PR Sunny-chan.
Before you know it, it’s already the end of the year. This year brought many changes to our lives. In November 2020, SUNNY SIDE UP GROUP renovated the Sendagaya office to match new ways of working for a new era. You can read the blog post from the opening here.
The central kitchen located in the middle of the office
In this blog post,we followed a day in the life of a team member who serves as the “Smile Keeper,” stationed in the “Central Kitchen,” which is also the core concept of our new office!
On the day we followed, delicious rice was cooked, and gifts kept arriving—although we were supposed to be reporting, before we knew it, Sunny-chan was happily eating away (lol).
Now, let’s get right into her day!
9:30 Arrive at the office / Morning preparations
The Smile Keeper’s day begins! To be ready by the 10:00 start time, she comes in a little earlier than everyone else to clean and cook rice.
10:00 Team members arrive
Team members arrive one after another. By this time, the kitchen is sparkling clean!
11:00 Rice cooking complete
Around the kitchen, the appetizing aroma of freshly cooked rice fills the air… Drawn by the smell, team members gather to eat an early lunch.
11:30 Desk work
She also manages costs and plans the monthly in-house events held in the kitchen.She also uses this time to place orders for the next day’s drinks and ingredients such as rice and eggs.
13:00 Lunch peak!
At this time, team members who have finished their morning tasks gather for lunch. A popular menu item is the easy-to-eat tamago kake gohan (rice with raw egg)! There are also moments when everyone shares their favorite toppings—such as tsukudani and natto.
14:00 Setting out gifts / Announcement
This is also where items received from clients and team members’ families gather. So everyone can enjoy them, the Smile Keeper sets them out in the kitchen and announces it to the team.
14:30 Desk work
Just when you think she can take a breather… the Smile Keeper never stops. She powers through accumulated desk work, and in between, handles coffee machine issues and replenishes ingredients in the two kitchens—staying extremely busy. People around her even say, “She’s like everyone’s mom!”
18:00 Preparing to close the kitchen
As the day winds down, she puts away the rice cooker and dried dishes. At the same time, she checks inventory.
For team members who stay late at the office, she prepares onigiri using the leftover rice. By morning, almost all of them are gone.
Some team members, hungry and peeking in, wonder, “Is it onigiri time yet?” They look just like a family (lol).
19:00 Thank you for your hard work today
After everything is cleaned up, she heads home. The Smile Keeper created smiles for everyone again today. Mission accomplished!
A comment from the Smile Keeper
As I stand in the kitchen every day as the Smile Keeper, I feel daily that I’m the one being energized by all of your smiles.
From casual conversations to serious talks, taking a moment to enjoy a warm cup of coffee, and even toasting with beer on weekends…
I will continue doing my best, hoping that time spent in the kitchen becomes a source of happy energy for everyone! Please feel free to talk to me anytime. I will always be here waiting for you in the kitchen!
It was a heartwarming day, touched by her smile and her desire for team members and clients to feel comfortable.When you visit the office, please be sure to stop by the kitchen where the Smile Keeper is. It is sure to make your day a little better.
With this post, this will be our final article of 2020.
With the impact of COVID-19, it was a year full of challenges. Next year as well, all of us will continue working hard to create more “fun commotion.”
Cold days continue, but please stay warm and have a wonderful New Year. We look forward to your continued support next year.
Author of this article
Sunny-chan
A group PR representative devoted to sunny-side-up eggs.Always keeping her antenna up both inside and outside the company, she is on the lookout for the “next fun commotion” and sharing it.From projects led by team members to in-house events, she covers the widest range of article categories in the company! Her latest goal is to “reach 3,000 followers on the official Twitter account”!
